Possible to have a workable workflow solely with the iPad app?

[Luc Desaulniers]

Lightroom Version Number

CC

Operating System

1. iOS

Hello.

My MacBook Pro needs to be replaced. Still working totally find mind your but performance is beginning to be a bit lacklustre. I was considering purchasing a new unit until Apple announced the new 2018 iPad Pro. This things is shaping up to be quite the powerhouse.

I am a CC subscriber but am only using the Classic Lightroom version. My question is, would it be possible as it is right now, to use ONLY the iPad Lightroom CC app and be functional? My main questions are :

1. Like many photogs, I sometimes take many variations of a shot in the same lighting conditions. Thus, when I am done editing the first photo, I will copy the adjustments onto all of the other photos. This of course saves a lot time. Can you do this with the iPad version? I went around the app and just couldn't figure out how.
2. Is there some kind of list that describes what the iPad app is missing in regards to Classic?
3. I realize I would need to use Adobe's cloud. But is it possible to do some kind of selective sync like Dropbox i.e. once a file is synced to Adobe's Cloud, have it removed from my iPad but have it stay in the cloud until I need it again?

Basically what I am asking is would I be shooting myself in the foot in dropping 2K$+ on an iPad Pro or should I just buy a newer Mac and continue using Lightroom Classic ?

Many thanks!

 

[johnbeardy]

I don't think it's the right option now, except for a workflow that is very limited.

1. Not as efficiently. It's pasting to one photo at a time
2. Probably, somewhere, but I'd just say most adjustments are there, most other things one uses in LR are not
3. I think Dropbox already does this selective sync, but it is completely independent of LR Mobile. What's more, I think you should do so if you try to use LrMobile without Classic. That's because if you delete a file in LrMobile, you delete it everywhere, and if your only copy is in Adobe's cloud....

I have always liked LR Mobile, whether that's on the iPad or iPhone, but in my view it works as an extension of real Lightroom, and it's years away from being a replacement.

 

[Luc Desaulniers]

Thank you John.

So IT IS possible to copy adjustments from one photo to another? Interesting.

I am aware Dropbox offers Selective Sync (I have a Pro account), which is why I asked if Adobe's cloud offers something similar.

Many thanks for your quick reply. I had a feeling the mobile Lr app was not ready to be a standalone replacement for the desktop version but I wanted to have the opinion of someone who already uses it.

 

[OrangeFrameStudio]

Hi,
Curious to know what you decided.
I also have an ageing imac which I should replace, but am leaning towards an iPadPro, LRmobile and Affinity Photo workflow - using the 1TB Lightroom subscription and icloud 2Tb for extra backup. The savings from imac to ipad pay for the subscriptions just after the pencil and keyboard.
I know there are limitations for bulk editing/organising, but for a workflow seems doable to me on an ipad if bulk options are not needed.
Just trying to research the likely local storage needed to comfortable use the ipad. ie 256gb, 512 or 1tb option.
I have about 10K photos which happily would keep in the 1TB LR cloud, with smart previews only, and import the odd 100-300 raw shots from a weekend shoot (D500, so about ~20mb ish each.) edit and sync to LR cloud and remove locally.

 

[Luc Desaulniers]

Hi,
Curious to know what you decided.

I haven't made the move yet as the funds I plan on investing in the setup haven't came in yet. But even if they had I still would be waiting.

Mainly what is preventing me from deciding on switching to an iPad-exclusive set up :

1. Limitations of Lr Mobile.
- Batch processing.
- You still need a computer for exporting your photos
- Unless I am mistaking you can only use Adobe's cloud to store your data
- I am using a few plugins in Lr Classic which of course will not work on the iPad

2. Limitations of iOS.
- No matter what Apple says, going cloud-only is not practical.
- The operating system layer needs to be more open. The fact that I can't even create a folder in the Files app is laughable.
- I am also hoping the arrival of USB-C will one day allows us to easily interface with external storage.

The way things are looking I will probably move on to the new Macbook Air.

 

[OrangeFrameStudio]

Interesting... it’s a tough decision that might be easier in a year or 2, probably less than a new iMac should last, which makes it tougher.

Appreciate your point 1, although personally could work around that but agree with your point 2.
It is nice that they’ve gone usb-c but with Apple charging £800 odd for 1tb data it’s hard to see them make it too easy to add external storage. Maybe one day but a way off yet I would think.
Put off by the laptop route as I use a Wacom tablet all the time, so the iPad does cover the drawing with a pen side well.
It will be interesting to see if and when the iPad route becomes more feasible.

 

[five.photos]

Is there some kind of list that describes what the iPad app is missing in regards to Classic?

Not that I know of, but what comes to mind is that you can't do HDR merges and panorama stitching with LR mobile yet. I was recently involved in a similar discussion on another forum and you might wanna check that out. (I hope it's allowed to link this here).

But is it possible to do some kind of selective sync like Dropbox i.e. once a file is synced to Adobe's Cloud, have it removed from my iPad but have it stay in the cloud until I need it again?

It is my understanding that this is how LR mobile works out of the box. Originals are being stored in the cloud and your iPad only holds Smart Previews unless otherwise instructed. You can control this in the app's settings > Cloud Storage & Sync.

using the 1TB Lightroom subscription and icloud 2Tb for extra backup.

Can you explain how this would work, exactly?

You still need a computer for exporting your photos

Why? Export to where? It's entirely possible to export your images from LR mobile to Dropbox, iCloud, Instagram ... If you mean exporting to an external hard drive, then yes, you're right. But I think with an iPad only setup, you need a different mindset. Cloud storage like Dropbox becomes your external drive.

Unless I am mistaking you can only use Adobe's cloud to store your data

Well, no. You could leave duplicates of your photos in the camera roll from where you can upload / backup them to the iCloud Photo Library or just the iCloud Drive. And you can use services like Google Photos and Dropbox to auto-import your photos from the camera roll if that's your thing.

The operating system layer needs to be more open. The fact that I can't even create a folder in the Files app is laughable.

You can!

I am also hoping the arrival of USB-C will one day allows us to easily interface with external storage.

That would be nice. I wouldn't bet my money on this, though.

 

[OrangeFrameStudio]

Regarding the extra 2tb backup - I meant along the lines of your next reply.... ie using iCloud 2TB subscription and upload images after import from memory card to the iPad.
So you are storing the files within Adobe Cloud and have a backup on iCloud.

 

[five.photos]

Regarding the extra 2tb backup - I meant along the lines of your next reply.... ie using iCloud 2TB subscription and upload images after import from memory card to the iPad.
So you are storing the files within Adobe Cloud and have a backup on iCloud.

Gotcha! Don't hold this against me as I'm not 100% sure, but I think that if you're instructing Lightroom mobile to keep the originals on the device, the "library" gets automatically uploaded with the normal iCloud backup of the phone. No need to keep the originals in the camera roll and sync them to the iCloud Photo Library in addition as this would result in having the photos twice in iCloud (once as a backup of the Lightroom app and its library and once in iCloud Photo Library, which is a different thing).

 

[OrangeFrameStudio]

Yeah good point - iCloud wouldn’t work as a back up if the plan was not to keep originals on the device.
Ideally when they are synced to lr, the next step would be to delete them from the device - so would have to look at an alternative cloud storage product to keep a back up. Ie Dropbox/s3/b2 etc or more likely an old laptop with an external hdd